A lawyer-turned-campaigner has given his ‘first thoughts’ on the Conservative Party manifesto. And he’s branded the party “robbers”; saying that in Theresa May the UK has created a “Frankenstein’s monster”.
Strong words
Peter Stefanovic is becoming well known on social media. He is getting a reputation for producing video shorts that cut through mainstream media bias; ones that tell the viewer the whole story on political and social issues. And in his latest video, he pulls no punches when it comes to the Conservative manifesto:
And Stefanovic’s comments echoed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s take on the Tories:
.@Theresa_May and the @Conservatives manifesto abandons older people & will do nothing to address inequality in our society. #ToryManifesto pic.twitter.com/yhNRECSh1o
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) May 18, 2017
Seven years of hell
The PM is attempting to pitch herself as ‘mainstream May’, targeting the average voter in Britain. But her party’s record paints a different story, with policies inflicting damage on some of the poorest in society. Over the last seven years of Conservative rule:
- Four million children are now living in poverty, a figure which rose by 100,000 in 2015/16. 67% are from working families.
- Food bank usage has risen, Over half a million people were reliant on just the Trussell Trust for food packages in the six months to the end of September 2016.
- In two reports the UN heavily criticised the Tories for “grave” and “systematic” violations of disabled people’s human rights. The government, meanwhile, has severely cut their benefits.
- National debt has increased by more than 50%.
- Homelessness rose by 54% between 2010 and 2016.
- The NHS has seen a real terms cut in the amount of money given to it per patient. Meanwhile the amount of NHS money paid to ‘independent’ companies had more than doubled to over £8bn a year by 2016.
- The government has cut the number of people getting social care by 26%. And it has cut the equivalent of almost £50m from children’s mental health services.
Frankenstein’s monster
And the Tory manifesto, as Stefanovic outlines, will do little to improve the situation. He told The Canary:
By turning a blind eye to the injustice this Government has dished out every day upon the working people of this country we’ve created a Frankenstein’s monster in Theresa May. A monster whose arrogance and contempt for ordinary working people makes her believe she can just get away with anything she wants, no matter how unjust, no matter how wrong. She can’t.
He believes that every person up and down the UK needs to go out and vote on 8 June, because:
Every heart in the country should be breaking after reading that manifesto, and every chest bursting with anger.
The PM may well think she is appealing to “mainstream Britain”. But she is taking a gamble. After seven years of attacks on disabled people, students, children, the NHS and its staff, and migrants, the Tories have now turned their sights to pensioners and their own middle classes. May could well have just signed off on her own undoing.
Get Involved!
– Register to vote in the 8 June general election.
– Discuss the key policy issues with family members, colleagues and neighbours. And organise! Join (and participate in the activities of) a union, an activist group, and/or a political party.
– Also read more Canary articles on the 2017 general election.
Featured image via Peter Stefanovic
